River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-12-15

4 II was 70 Throw n IpCk al MIN now
like as not hit wouldn't git through the
fence, an If hit did hit wouldn't do no
mcre'n put out eve or sump'n. But I'll
kill 'im anyhow. Lay DOWN" he called
to the child. 'Put yo' head on the melon
an keep still"
The boy obeyed. and Nathan crept 10
the fence. 'Shet yo' eyes an keep 'em
shet,H he said, as he climbed to the top.
He looked down. A sigh escaped the boys
lips, but he was silent II was easy now
TO drop the stone and send the pure little
soul into the presence of its Maker. But
Nathan sat still, gazing at the bov-the
obedience aud trust OF the child were too
much for him 70 bear.
''Tain't no use. / can't do il. | amt
made that away" He slid silently from
therails and slipped away. 'srain't my
doin' IL be gifts skeered to DEATH" So he
ran through the corn to the roadway and
shut out the lonely cries of the child. All
the way home il seemed as il nothing but
sObs were in the air. When he crossed
the fOot-bridge Of the creek the frogs were
| sobbing under the water, and il seemed TO
Nathan as il a child Law drowning there.
The rustic Of the trees by the way had a
human sound OF sorrow. II was quite
dark now, and Nathan was keenly alive to
every sound around him. The absorbed
/ look had gone from his face. Once he
/ stopped quickly. He saw at his feet a
child lying still. and he stepped out of
the way that he might not crush il. The
! walk was longer and more lonely than
ne had ever known il before. He tried
/ to think of Harry, and of the anger
| and hatred that he had cherished since
/ the day his boy was brought home m ur-
dered, as Nathan thought, by Ezra STAFF
ford. He remembered that day well,
/ so well. Ezra had come and told the
story, for Harry could not.
He took Nathan's old, worn Bible and
laid his hand uTon it and sad: 'Nathan,
me an yOu's been almost brothers, an
I'D ruther added than hurt Harry. / seed
boy in my apple tree an l made sure
hit was a Niger, so / fired a rock an
almost died when seed il was Harry fall
I Outen the tree"
This was the simple story. Every word
was burned into Nathan's soul aud he
looked inside and read il over again to-
night. Harry was his idol and he was
/ dead. What else could his father do but
hate the murderer aud seek revengeg His
1 love had flowed out OF his heart, like a
torrent, into the life OF mis- motherless son,
and the whole food had turned back upon
hun when death took away his boy. What
had he left but his fields, and what were
they to him without Harry:
Baby Stafford! An 1 played with
him an kissed him. and didn't kill him!
/ couldn't even drop the stone on his head.
But he's layin' thar yet, an maybe he'll
81 fi% III. close, .v.. and ,rn.,,n, ,.o.
| came before him again, and he began lis
/ tening TO the sObs that came from every
/ where. When he walked into his house,
I MaFfx- y~ae ms cupna- tt,,au MI in,
/ wooden table FOR Matty laid no stress up
/ on cloths and napkins, and it had been a
4 long time since Nathan had known the
! comforts of cleanliness and order. He
/ looked hOpelessly at the shiftless girl, who
4 sat opposite him at table; at the untidy
/ hair, c0liaTless neck, and snuff brush,
| sticking he II into the waist of the calico
dress.
1t was a dreary picture to come to after
a man hal struggled with despair. Ma
| than helped himself 10 the fried ham and
/ biscuit, then pushed the dishes toward
I Matty " thout looking up. There were no
/ toilets made for this meal. Why should
Nathan trouble himself about his hair or
his shirt for Mattys Sometimes il things
were too shiftless and dirty to be borne
with, he would give Matty rebuke which
! she took gOOd-naturedly, Obeying him
I just enough 10 keep the peace for a while.
! Tonight Nathan's thoughts were far
| from this simple table, when Matty spoke
/ to him:
spa, they's been baby lost over to
| Stafford's to-day" He looked up, the
candle burning in the center of the table
| fiared like a fire. He could see nothing
but the binding light. stafford was a.
/ passin' an be up'n hailed me outen the
winder, an asst me if I'd seed boy four
| year Ole"
Matty went on, her father was staring
at her, and she did not know that he could
not see her.
They tole me ever at Turner's that
! Baby StaffOrd's been gone all day, am his
mas sick abed. an they're 'fraid hit'll kill
| her fore mOrnin' if they don't fl i'm.
| They been a-huntin' up an down t., creek
am ev'ywhars. l told Stafford l wu'n't
mindin' his brats, but he dion't answer
! nOthin', jes' rode on"
Matty took another biscuit, broke il
open and laid piece of ham inside, then
began eating again.
s.Mis' StaffOrd's got heart trouble, folks
says, an hit amt likely she'll git over it
| If Baby's drowned. Mis- Turner lowed
to-day thut Baby's the fav'rit in the FAM
", pa an ma both. Turner's folks is
nightly troubled, too, cause they think
J lots o. Baby. He's over thar ev'ry week. {"
Matty was through now, and she rose
from the table and called: MANDY, come
wash the dishes!'
Nathan had scarcely tasted his food
and he rose from the table without rea liz
ing that he had been there. He went IN e
| chanicaIly to see if the cattle had been
| properly fed and watered. He always did
| this, and there was no reason why he
/ zF,a HIT rr-lta b.a 20
the big gate opening into the ''hOrse-lot"
he stopped and leanei again tree and
| listened to the sobbing. He felt the Little
! head against his arm and he shook II off.
| IL was only one of the horses that had
| stuck his nose across the fence u touch
his master, and this unkind treatment
made him wonder.
"III leave it thar an il he finds it dead
/ an il his wife dies hit'll make us even.
| He needn't tell me no lies about not
meanin' il. Matty'd done hyeard him say
| as how his Liza shouldn't be 'sociatin'
with that snuff-dippin' Fielder gal She'd
4 one been the ruin of Liza already. He
was a-despisin' of my family, an h /.
meant to Insult me by knOckin' my boy
down. | amt a-killin' hisn, if Pm a-lettin'
il die. Tain't NV business TO pick it up an
tote il home. No, sr! hit kin lay thar.
| What If me an him was friends. We'd
a-been SO now if il hadn't been for that"
| IL seemed as IL two little hands touched
him from behind. He turned and looked
at the fence, expecting to see them. He
| cringed aud walked across the road; he
would go into tho house and get away
/ from fences and fields.
Matty was sitting on the front steps
singing. Here was something cheerful at
last. He sat down beside her aud the first
hing she did was TO rest her head against
his arm. He rose angrily and asked for
his pipe, then he seated himself in a chair
on the porch. Matty filled the pipe and
| brought it TO her father; then she sat on
| the step and went on with her singing.
/ The girl had lover Who liked her good
nature and did not object TO her shiftless-
ness. SO she thought about him as she
| sung.
| II was a quiet, lonely time for Nathan.
i Where was the little head resting now in
this darknessg Baby Stafford was alone
/ in the night; the dew had already fallen
/ upon him. Was he sObbing now or had
sleep brought him rest: a sound of mem,
voices was heard down the road, and
Matty said: Listen, pa; that's Stafford
and the Turner BOYS. They're a-huntiu'
of Raby. reckon they'll stop liver gin"
/ Nathan listened aud haar1 oua of the